Getting Hired: UO Career Center Portland Alumni Career Services

Kelsey Knecht finished up her last term at the University of Oregon in the fall of 2009. She had the honor of being accepted into UO’s Senior Experience at the Turnbull Center for her final term. Kelsey, who graduated with a public relations degree, spent her fall interning for UO Career Center Portland, finishing up her last classes and participating in the Fall Alumni Job Search Group.

Kelsey entertained the idea of working in event planning, but kept her options open throughout her job search. She saw an opening for a recruiting position with nLight Photonics and jumped at the opportunity; a four-hour interview later she landed the job. She said, “You are going to have a good interview experience when it’s the right fit” and that’s how she describes her experience interviewing for nLight Photonics.

Although she did not originally see herself as recruiter, she used her background in communications to present herself as an asset to the company and it worked. Advice she has for those in the job search process is to set up informational interviews to learn more about the industry you want to get involved in. “Networking is key,” she says and it is what really paid off for her in her job search. She also says, “Ducks always want to help ducks and friends always want to help friends.”

As a recruiter she reviews plenty of resumes and advises recent graduates to really cater their resumes and cover letters to the specific job they are applying for and use them as a way to “sell yourself.” Kelsey plans on gaining more experience at nLight, where she has also begun to take on a marketing role and eventually plans to go back to school for her master’s degree.

If you are interested in signing up with the UO Career Center Portland's Alumni Career Services, please contact the UO Career Center Portland at 503-412-3701 or e-mail careerpdx@uoregon.edu.